淨名經關中釋抄 1.4

1.4

Within the first section, explaining the title, there are again three points: first, discerning the reasons for the arising of the teaching; second, clarifying the era and imperial dynasty of its translation; third, properly explaining the title of the sūtra. First, regarding the reasons for the arising of the teaching, there are general and specific aspects. Clarifying it generally for all sūtras, there are three points. First, to fulfill their fundamental vows: when all buddhas practice the bodhisattva path, they all make the four great vows. Now, the teaching is spoken in order to fulfill the first vow: 'Sentient beings are boundless; I vow to deliver them.' Therefore Master Zhao says: 'He bound the armor [of resolution] at his initial aspiration, and culminated in great compassion to respond to distress.' As the text below says: 'That the bodhisattva takes a pure land is entirely for the sake of bringing benefit to sentient beings.' Furthermore, the Lotus Sūtra says: 'I originally made a vow, desiring to make all beings identical to me without distinction.' Second, to respond to the requests of patrons: as the Lotus Sūtra explains, when the Tathāgata attained the Way, after three periods of seven days had passed, Brahmā, Śakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings requested the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. Question: Brahmā and the others requested the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma in three turnings and twelve aspects; how could they have requested the turning of the Mahāyāna? Answer: The Da zhidu lun explains that the preaching of prajñā was in response to the request of the kings; therefore we know they also requested the Mahāyāna. Furthermore, later in this sūtra the Heavenly Emperor and the Four Kings all make vows to propagate the sūtra; is this not out of rejoicing that the Buddha responded to their request? Third, to respond to faculties and conditions: the Buddha simply acts with great loving-kindness and compassion; as soon as faculties are mature, he transforms them—why must there necessarily be a request? Therefore the text says: 'He acts as a friend to beings without their asking, bringing them peace.' If a bodhisattva is like this, how much more so the Tathāgata! Question: There are many kinds of faculties and conditions; how are they matched and harmonized? Answer: The Tathāgata responds to all faculties and conditions by means of the four siddhāntas; therefore he can match them without missing the capacity [of any being]. Now, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra explains that arising-arising and so on cannot be spoken, yet on account of causes and conditions, it can also be spoken. 'Causes and conditions' refers to the skillful means of the siddhāntas. They are the conditions that give rise to the multitude of teachings, and the causes that initiate the multitude of practices. In order to clarify this meaning, it is divided into three sections: first, translating the term and explaining it; second, discerning its essence and characteristics; third, clarifying how it gives rise to teaching and practice. First, regarding the translation and explanation: concerning 'siddhānta', some say it has a translation, while others say it is untranslated. Its meaning is as clarified in the explanation of the character 'sūtra'. Among those who say it has a translation, some say it means 'purport achieved', some say 'ink', some say 'seal', some say 'real', and some say 'accomplishment and culmination', and so on. Such opposing translations are not single; it is difficult to settle definitively. These [terms] refer to preaching the Dharma according to faculties, the purport and seal that transcend letters, and so on. Master Nanyue says: this is analogous to the Sanskrit-Chinese compound titles in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. 'Xi' (悉) accords with phonetic sound, while 'tan' (檀) is the Indic term. 'Xi' means universal, and 'tan' (dāna) is translated as giving. It is so called because the Buddha takes this Dharma and gives it universally to sentient beings. Second, regarding discerning the characteristics: first, worldly; second, individual; third, therapeutic; fourth, ultimate-meaning. The Great Sage spoke these four correct siddhāntas to refute the four false siddhāntas of the non-Buddhists, thereby giving rise to all the teachings of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. First, the worldly siddhānta: this refers to sentient beings' five aggregates, twelve sense bases, and eighteen elements, in which all dharmas are distinguished and differentiated in name and mark, and are not the same; hence it is called 'worldly'. Non-Buddhists are confused about this world: some imagine that the world exists without causes and conditions, while some imagine that the world exists through false causes and conditions. The Great Sage, adapting to what sentient beings desire and delight to hear, preaches the worldly Dharma of correct causes and conditions for them, causing sentient beings to attain worldly right view. This is the giving of worldly Dharma. Second, the individual siddhānta: the Great Sage observes the minds of people and preaches the Dharma for them. Because people's minds are individually different, regarding a single matter he may permit or not permit it. As a sūtra says: 'Because of variegated karmic grasping, they are variegately born into the world, experiencing variegated contact and variegated feeling.' There is another sūtra, the Po qunxie jing, which says: 'No person attains contact; no person attains feeling.' This intention is precisely to break attachments, generate faith, increase good roots, and bestow all wholesome dharmas; therefore it is called the individual siddhānta. Third, the therapeutic siddhānta: the Da zhidu lun says: 'Because there is a Dharma antidote, there is the precious nature; therefore it is not non-existent.' This means: for those with much lust, he teaches the contemplation of impurity; for those with much anger, he teaches the contemplation of loving-kindness; for those with much delusion, he teaches the contemplation of causes and conditions. The Buddha preaches the medicinal Dharma of antidotes and bestows it universally upon sentient beings to cut off their evil; therefore it is called the therapeutic siddhānta. Fourth, the ultimate-meaning siddhānta: the Da zhidu lun says that there are two kinds in clarifying the ultimate meaning: first, in terms of what cannot be spoken; second, in terms of what can be spoken. First, what cannot be spoken refers to the real Dharma of all buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats. Thus the Da zhidu lun says: 'Discourse comes to an end, and the operation of the mind also ceases.' Furthermore, as the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'The realm where activities operate is called the world; where activities do not operate is called the ultimate meaning.' In terms of what can be spoken, as the Da zhidu lun says: 'All dharmas are real; all are unreal; all are both real and unreal; all are neither real nor unreal—all are called the true mark of all dharmas.' In various sūtras in such places, the Buddha preaches the characteristics of the ultimate-meaning siddhānta. This concludes what our tradition clarifies: entering the ultimate meaning through the four gates. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: 'If a person inclined toward the Way hears the four propositions spoken and is able to awaken and enter, this is the true mark of all dharmas. If a person hears the four propositions spoken and gives rise to grasping and attachment in their mind, all of it is conceptual proliferation.' This corresponds to: first, according to desires; second, according to suitability; third, according to therapy; fourth, according to the ultimate meaning. Therefore, when Ratnakūṭa praises the Buddha's eloquence of delightful speech, he says: 'The Buddha expounds the Dharma with a single voice: / Some feel fear, / Some rejoice, / Some give rise to revulsion, / Or cut off doubt. / These are the spiritual powers and unshared dharmas.' 'Fear' means that through the worldly siddhānta, because he preaches on the burning house of the triple world, they are terrified. 'Rejoice' means that through the individual siddhānta, their fundamental good roots are aroused and they attain the joy of the Dharma. 'Give rise to revulsion' refers to being weary and repulsed by the afflictions, which initiates the therapeutic [antidote]. 'Cutting off doubt' is the ultimate-meaning siddhānta: initially entering the path of seeing, they see the principle of the truths clearly and distinctly, and therefore cut off doubt. Third, clarifying how it gives rise to all teachings and practices: the Da zhidu lun explains that the four siddhāntas give rise to the twelve divisions of scriptures and eighty-four thousand Dharma treasuries, which is the worldly siddhānta. They give rise to the eighty-four thousand gates of defilements; the individual siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand samādhi gates and dhāraṇī gates; the therapeutic siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand therapeutic gates to cure the eighty-four thousand afflictions; the ultimate-meaning siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand Dharma gates, also called the eighty-four thousand pāramitā gates. Even up to the scriptures of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, the gradual and sudden teachings, the general and specific treatises, and noble speech and noble silence—all are established based on the skillful means of the siddhāntas.